C-9 Canal Enhancement Project
Overview
The Biocentric Engineering Solutions (B.E.S) group was tasked with finding mitigation strategies for out-of-bank flooding around a 6-mile segment of the C-9 Canal. This canal is a fundamental component of the Central and Southern Florida flood control system; however, at the time of its development (1960s), the exponential increase of urban sprawl and sea level rise was not foreseen. Due to the topography of the basin, the water naturally flows towards the canal and can drain at the S-29 discharge point; However, during torrential rainfall or king tide events water in the ocean elevates and the canal is unable to discharge thus causing flooding in its right-of-way and the neighboring communities. For this reason, the main objective of the project is to increase the canal’s cross-sectional area to increase storage capacity and allow for drainage during king tide. This project will involve the addition of berms and wetlands in a linear park setup to enhance stormwater management and provide public access for maintenance and recreation.
Community Benefit
All aspects of this project were established with the community’s health, safety, and welfare as the priority. The development of berms increases the water storage capacity thus minimizing flooding or ponding occurrences and providing a safety barrier between the community and the canal. The implementation of wetland regions adjacent to the canal helps detain water so it can be released at a more manageable rate. This has the added co-benefit of improving water quality through bioremediation and removal of excess nutrients. Furthermore, the added access road increases connectivity and eases maintenance operations and recreational activities. As a whole, one of the main community benefits is that this setup is adaptable to the conditions of the site, meaning that this design can be implemented in future projects of high flood risk, thus minimizing the time used for data gathering and increasing the efficiency at which a solution is installed.
Team Members
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